Out with Sara: Look for wine, craft beer trends to continue in 2013

The turn of the new year is always a time of reflection as well as an opportunity to gaze ahead.

In 2012, we saw a lot of trends take shape in the area, and only a few of those will continue to grow in 2013. This includes local wineries and the craft beer community.

Over the last decade, Pennsylvania’s wineries have increased by more than 100 locations, and locally, we’ve seen so much growth that we actually have three separate wine trails — the Mason Dixon Wine Trail, the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail and Hershey Harrisburg Wine Country, which was added earlier this year.

Our commonwealth’s rich history as an agriculture center, along with a climate and landscape conducive to grape-growing, has pushed Pennsylvania forward in this industry.

In the past two years alone, our area has welcomed four new wineries: Buddy Boy Winery in Duncannon, Hummingbird Ridge Winery in York Haven, The Winery at Grandview in Mount Joy and The Vineyard at Hershey in Londonderry Township.

Mike Wilson, co-owner of The Vineyard at Hershey, said it is Pennsylvania’s rolling scenery that lends itself to a boom in wine events, which he predicts will continue to increase in 2013. The aforementioned trails offer seasonal incentives for tourists and locals to explore the area’s vineyards, while individual wineries offer live music, wine dinners and other creative combinations to draw visitors for tasting events. The increase in traffic can mean more customer demand — not only in quantity but also in style.

“We’ll see more unique wines being introduced as the demand for diversity increases and customers learn more about Pennsylvania wines,” Wilson said.

At The Vineyard at Hershey, this has meant tweaking its signature dry red, Firefly, into a more complex version and the addition of a sparkling moscato, due out in early 2013.

And while the wine scene grows locally, the craft beer trend has been on the rise nationally — which is great for local brewers, as well.

This year brought our area’s first beer trail — the Susquehanna Ale Trail. The trail is largely based in York, and is worth a few visits (maybe parts at a time). We also saw Arooga’s update its brand with a craft beer concentration when it unveiled the downtown location, Arooga’s Draft House & Sports Bar in March. Arooga’s has also added to and upgraded the tap selection at a few of its other stores.

Last week, the Susquehanna Ale House opened at the former Bourbon Street East, with a new focus on craft beer. The bar has 40 taps and is offering $3 craft drafts daily.

The Federal Taphouse opened Thursday at the site of the former Dragonfly, boasting 100 unique taps, the most in the area.

Draft beer is king for craft heads, and bottles take a close second, as you can experiment with new beers by purchasing mixed six packs at such places as Al’s of Hampden and Anthony’s Micropub.

However, there has been a recent push to be more eco-conscious, and to that end, some breweries are revisiting the aluminum can. For years, this vessel has been frowned upon but it has its perks: It keeps fresh beer from light (its biggest foe) and it’s easier to carry and more likely to be recycled.

“Now, it seems that the craft beer industry has latched on to the can revolution and realizes the advantages of cans from the packaging aspect down to the environmental impact,” said Jeff Herb, media and marketing coordinator at Troegs Brewing Co. “As more breweries embrace ‘green’ initiatives, they will follow suit with the canning of their product.”

Note that Troegs does not at this time have plans to can its beer.

Combination beers are another thing to look for in 2013. Though certain combinations, like the Black & Tan, seem as old as time itself, Herb said, beer drinkers have been creating their own unique combinations, and he expects to see this trend to grow.

“At Troegs, for example, people started blending Mad Elf with DreamWeaver and calling it a ‘Mad Dream,’” Herb said.

It’s gained such popularity that bars are ordering both beers and advertising the combination so customers can enjoy it. “Beer geeks are always looking for something different, and blending beers gives them infinite choices when they are out and about,” Herb said.

And because craft beer drinkers are always on the quest for something new, barrel-aged beers also has become increasingly popular. Herb said wine, bourbon, whiskey and brandy barrel-aged beers have already become common, but he believes we will see breweries experiment with different barrels outside of these.

“I can definitely see more breweries embracing rum, tequila and cognac barrels in an effort to continue to push craft beer into new, exciting directions,” Herb said.

With the wine and beer parts of the spectrum firmly covered, one new trend for 2013 might be a move toward spirits.

This winter, York County’s first distillery will open, serving handcrafted, small-batch spirits made with local produce.

The Old Republic Distillery, owned and operated by siblings Bill and Denise Mathias, will begin selling its high-quality fruit spirits, cordials and rums to local bars and restaurants in January. A retail tasting room is planned to open in February 2013.

Spirits available in the new year will include Love Potion, Apple Pie and Uncle Calvin’s Blueberry Apple Pie. Their rums will be available in summer 2013, and seasonal products also will be produced.

Old Republic Distillery is in Seven Valleys. Visit them online at www.drinkord.com.

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